The present invention relates to a device for detecting rodents.
The positive detection of rodent infestation, before rodenticides are employed, is desirable. The Food Industry, for instance, is particularly sensitive about this and prefers rodenticides to be used only after an infestation has been positively identified by other means. Furthermore, detection of rodents during a control program, e.g., rodenticide baiting, can be a useful aid to confirm that the bait selected is appropriate. Unfortunately, when a bait is used the absence of bait consumption does not always indicate successful control.
There are four main methods currently employed to detect rodent infestation. These are:
1. census baiting using untreated foodstuffs or blank rodenticide formulations (i.e., formulations containing no active ingredient); PA1 2. tracking patches where small areas of loose particulate matter (for example, gypsum, silversand and carbon black) are laid down to detect footprints; PA1 3. visual inspection of a suspected site to identify rodent damage, droppings, hair or other signs; and PA1 4. sophisticated detectors which employ complex and expensive electronic equipment (e.g., detectors which rely on detecting body heat radiated by a rodent positioned close to a sensor).
All of these main methods have drawbacks. For instance, census baiting relies on the acceptance of the bait by the rodents and, as is the case with rodenticide baiting, negative results do not prove the absence of rodents. The use of census baits of a similar type to a rodenticidal formulation can also reduce the acceptance of that rodenticidal formulation, if subsequently used. Tracking methods currently employ "messy" dusts, dyes or pigments that are sensitive to environmental factors such as moisture, air movement and vibration. Furthermore, experience has shown that excessive use of tracking dusts, apart from the mess created, can be repellent to rodents. Visual inspection methods are time consuming and require considerable expertise to distinguish between "old " and "fresh " signs. Live rodents are rarely seen except where the infestation level is high. Finally, sophisticated electronic detectors are costly, consume power and require expert maintenance.